Introduction: Raven's half sister
by Raven of Alaska
Summary: Arella left Azarath for Raven's sake. Upon returning to Earth, she falls in love, gets married, and has a baby. Her daughter, though, is plagued by nightmares. Folks, meet Raven's half sister, Alma. Arella/Harlan.


**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. Or F.E.A.R., just so you know. P.S. I know I should be updating The Pain of Love, I am almost finished with the chapter. I'm currently editing the fight scene, the death of Ginger, and I'm finishing the ending. It won't be as long as I hoped, but… well, stay tuned and you'll see! This is a one shot, and also my big 20! Yay, 20 stories! Most of which are incomplete… but, once I'm done with some of them, I plan to make this one-shot into a full blow series.**

Arella smiled as she held her little girl in her arms. Dark black hair sprouted out of her baby's head, and the baby's skin was extremely pale. _Just like Raven_, Arella mused. This baby was just one of the many gifts that she had been blessed with since returning to Earth. She had met a man, fallen in love, gotten married, and even started going to church again. She sighed as she thought. As wonderful as it was to have a family who loved her, friends who were always there for her, it pained her that she wouldn't get to see her firstborn take her first steps, or hear her say her first word, or cuddle her when she got scared. No, Raven would not get to know her mother until late in what will be her short life, if she gets to know her, which Arella doubted. Raven would be forced to keep her emotions in check, and even if they met, Raven would probably hate her for giving her to Master Azar and the monks of Azarath.

6 years later, Arella sat, slumped in a chair, cradling her daughter. "There there, Alma, mommy's here," Arella said, rocking back and forth, daughter clutching her chest. Harlan Wade walked in and looked at his wife, who nodded silently.

Harlan was concerned. Alma had another bad dream. Another nightmare. From what Harlan could tell, they were getting worse. Just when it seemed that Alma could sleep peacefully, the nightmares had started again. Well, at least for a few months, Alma was able to sleep peacefully.

After singing Alma to sleep, Arella walked to the bedroom she and Harlan shared, only to find it empty. She found her husband in the kitchen, warming a glass of milk. "She's sleeping now, Harlan. Though, I could use some milk."

Harlan let his lips form a small smile. "Here you go," he said, handing Arella the glass. An awkward moment of silence passed before Harlan spoke. "Maybe she should start sleeping with us again. What do you think?"

Arella tossed the idea around in her mind. "Well, it would be nice not to have to get up every night." Harlan nodded, getting a glass of water for himself. "On the other hand, however, she needs to learn to sleep alone. We aren't always going to be there for her. She needs to get used to sleeping in a bed by herself."

"What are we going to do?" Harlan asked. "We've tried everything, but the nightmares persist." Harlan bit his lip, thinking of how to word his next sentence. But it seemed Arella had already read his mind. Or was thinking along the same lines.

"You want to take her to Armacham and run some tests, right?" Harlan nodded. He'd suggested this numerous times, but Arella had always refused the idea, and he'd drop it for a while. He hoped to get a different response this time. "You know how I feel about having our little girl tested on, Harlan. However… if it will help her sleep peacefully, then do whatever you can, understand?"

"I'll take her fist thing in the morning." Harlan looked at the calendar and laughed.

"What's funny?" Arella asked, confused.

"Tomorrow is perfect. It's take your child to work day." Putting their glasses away, the couple went to bed, and slept the rest of the night.

"Good morning!" Alma squealed. It always surprised Harlan and Arella that their daughter could be so happy in the morning after having nightmare after nightmare. Then again, she was cheery whenever she was awake. "School's going to be wonderful today!" School was always wonderful to her. Even when they had to sit through boring lectures, Alma was attentive and happy.

"Actually, you're going to be coming with me today, honey." Alma looked at her father quizzically. "I'm taking you to work with me." A smile stretched across Alma's face, and both Harlan and Arella could've sworn it stretched ear to ear.

"I get to see where you work! Cool!" She had never seen where her daddy worked. She had always gone with her mother to the library, where her mother was the head librarian. Take your child to work day was a holiday for her.

After taking a shower, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, and combing her hair over and over, Alma, smiling, went out the door with her father. Arella smiled as she watched them go. Maybe, just maybe, the nightmares will stop. Arella prayed, hoping her words would not fall on deaf ears. Then she walked to the library, which was only a block or so from where she lived. Today was going to be a good day, despite the fact a storm was brewing.

Arella came home to a quiet house. Strange, she thought, Alma's usually watching a movie by now. She saw Harlan sitting on the couch, head in his hands. "Bad day?" Arella asked.

"Worst day of my life. Alma hates me. Everything was going great, until we got to the tests. Then, well, she freaked, to put it simply. She thought she was going to get a shot. It took me an hour to calm her down. We didn't run any tests, but, well, she's not talking to me. I tried reaching you at the library, but the phone lines are dead. Stupid storm," Harlan grumbled. Arella wrapped her arms around him. Pulling him in for a quick kiss, Arella sat there, thinking.

"I'll talk to her. Is she in her room?" Harlan nodded quietly. Letting go of her husband, Arella went off to Alma's room. "Alma, sweetie, are you awake? Alma?" Noticing a large lump in Alma's bed, covered by sheets. Peeling back the covers, Arella saw that Alma was sleeping. Kissing her daughter's forehead, she prayed that Alma would sleep peacefully that night.

She did.

A few weeks later...

Through watery eyes and his glasses, Harlan stared. "I understand," he said, looking at his wife. "We'll be fine until you return," he said, forcing a smile upon his face. Arella had to leave, being called by Master Azar to confront an emergency, one involving Raven. Harlan knew about Azarath, about Trigon, about everything that had happened to Arella. He loved her, he would love her forever.

"I'll return as soon as possible, I promise." Arella knew, as Harlan did, that it might be a few years before Arella returned. That time would be painful for both of them. Arella was needed to help Raven control her emotions, as the task was proving harder than Master Azar had anticipated. While training Raven, Arella would be longing to return to Harlan, to Alma, to the life she had here.

Harlan knew that she had to leave, and that she'd be sorely missed by everyone. He didn't know how long she'd be gone, only that the time she was gone would be hard, extremly hard for Alma. Though she was talking to him again, she seemed distant, and it hurt Harlan. Her relationship with her mother, however, was growing stronger every day. They were almost inseparable, and Harlan knew that the hardest thing for Arella to do was to leave Alma. Hugging his wife, Harlan let tears silently slide down his face. "We'll be waiting for you to return."

Arella smiled. "Don't worry, I will."

She never did.


End file.
